


The Predisposition of Leo Valdez

by NoNaMe19Kaneis



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/M, Gen, He has great friends that just want to help, Leo's past comes back to haunt him, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-13
Updated: 2018-01-03
Packaged: 2019-02-14 05:15:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13000635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoNaMe19Kaneis/pseuds/NoNaMe19Kaneis
Summary: While visiting New York City at Percy's request, Leo sees someone he thought he'd never have to encounter again. His friends are worried about him. Can they find out what has him so shaken? Or will Leo end up running away again?





	1. Static

"Leo, can you please stop messing with the squirrels?"

He looked up, seeing Percy standing over him with his hands on his hips, looking like a scolding mother seconds away from pointing at him with his index finger and saying, "No! Bad Leo!"

Leo rolled his eyes and ate a Dorito from the bag in his hands. "What? They looked hungry!"

The son of Poseidon sighed and looked up at the heavens, as if asking the gods whatever possessed him from thinking it was a good idea to bring Leo to his hometown. "Okay, but I think trying to chase them down while throwing chips is counter productive."

"Oh, come on! Who doesn't like Doritos?"

"That's not the point."

Leo sucked his teeth and mumbled, "Geez, what a kill-joy," before taking a piece of metal and a rubber band out to tinker with. The heat of his hands melted the contraption into a working helicopter. He looked around and smiled excitedly at Central Park, taking in the sights and sounds while running around like a little kid that just entered Disney World.

Percy looked back towards the busy New York City street for the ten thousandth time, no doubt looking for his girlfriend who went to buy hotdogs from a fast food joint she saw on the way to the park. He wasn't even trying to hide the hope in his face that practically screamed please, I can't deal with this hyperactive demigod for a minute longer without throwing him in a pond.

Leo saw a cooling station and ran into the water, releasing his helicopter while getting soaked head to toe.

Percy shook his head in exasperation and smiled. When he heard that the majority of his friends have never been to the Big Apple, he couldn't help it! He offered for himself, Leo, Annabeth, Calypso, Hazel, Nico, Jason, Piper and Frank a well deserved vacation during one of their monthly Argo II meetings. Calypso looked terrified of the thought of being around so many people so soon after she escaped from isolation. Before she said anything, Leo whispered reassurances that must have put her at ease with rejecting the invitation, because she decided to stay. Nico said he had work to do for his father and Hazel and Frank said they'd come a week after Percy, Annabeth and Leo got there. Jason and Piper also had work to do, but promised that they would try to make it.

Leo came up behind Percy and poked him in the back, making him tense.

"Peeeercyyy?"

"..."

Poke.

"Percyyyyyyyy!"

"..."

Poke Poke Poke Poke Poke.

"Percy Percy Percy Percy Percy-"

"Yes, Leo?" Percy grabbed his hand with a vice grip.

"... Hi!"

Leo dashed away laughing, leaving an annoyed demigod glaring after him.

Annabeth came up to him giggling in that knowing way she always does, holding out a chili cheese dog for Percy to take. "Thanks," he said.

Annabeth looked toward the son of Hephaestus making a new contraption with twigs from a tree, taking a bite out of her food. "He can be a handful can't he?"

Percy nodded and turned to her. "Did you hear from Jason and Piper yet?"

Annabeth said no, that they were really busy running their camp and might not even make it. Percy frowned at that but started talking to her about other things. Their future together, what they planned to do for college, how many children got claimed by their parents. They never broke eye contact from each other, in their own little worlds, like nobody else existed. That is until Annabeth's head snapped to the side and gripped Percy's arm firmly.

"Percy," she said, voice tense. Percy looked over to see what caught her attention and immediately went rigid.

Leo was talking to someone. This wasn't unusual, he had a tendency to make friends wherever he went by nature. But this was different. He seemed to be in an intense conversation, like he wanted to yell but he restrained himself. Even from the distance they were at, Percy could tell that they weren't having a friendly talk. The man looked big and burly, like a hairy refrigerator, and was wearing a white wife-beater t-shirt with stained joggers. He was standing over the teenager, face red as a tomato and eyes crazed and possessive, like Gollum from the Lord of the Rings.

Leo's posture was hunched over and shaking like the man he was conversing with had power over him. He was looking at the ground in fear and the twigs he was tinkering with were on the ground, forgotten. But perhaps the most worrying part of all, his hands were balled into fists at his sides, unmoving.

His hands were still.

Dread filled the couple who were already jogging over to the scene. The only time Leo's hands were still was when he got off Calypso's island the first time. And even then it wasn't still for long. The man's voice raised in anger and Leo hunched even more, backing away from the guy who looked about twice his size. They caught up to Leo just as the man was leaving.

Percy put on his best shit eating grin. "Hey, what's going on here?" But the man kept walking, not even acknowledging the boy. Percy dropped the facade and stalked over to him, intending to grab his arm to demand to know what he did to his friend. Leo's voice stopped him.

"It's okay Percy."

Percy turned around to face the trembling boy with concern. Whoever that man was and whatever was said really freaked Leo out. Percy saw Leo fight demigods and gods. He saw him stand up to monsters and spirits and curses. Percy has seen Leo Valdez happy, sad, scared, worried, excited, sick, intimidating, and in love.

But he has never ever seen the demigod so withdrawn.

But in a moment, it was gone, and the jokester was back.

"Why so serious?" he asked in his best Joker interpretation. And Percy almost fell for it, because it is that convincing. But if he learned anything from being friends with the him all these months, it's that looks can be deceiving when it come to Leo Valdez.

"Who was that guy?" Annabeth asks. She didn't fall for the mask either. Leo's doesn't falter though.

"He was just somebody that I used to know~" he sang, Gotye style. Annabeth rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling.

"I'm serious, fire-boy!" She looked in the direction the man went, smile dropping completely. "You looked…"

Terrified. Intimidated. Worried.

"...off," she settled for. Leo rolled his eyes and walked away.

"Don't worry about it. Leo's a big boy. He can handle himself." Leo said. Percy jogged up to him and gripped his shoulder.

"Dude, are you sure you're okay?" Percy said. His sea green eyes stared into deep chocolate brown, trying to find the truth.

"I'm fine," Leo said, a little quieter than normal but otherwise undeterred.

He continued walking, calling over his shoulder, "Percy! Let's get to your place already! I want to eat your mom's blue food!"

Annabeth and Percy looked at each other and decided to drop the matter for now. But they would be keeping an eye on him. He said he's fine, but they knew otherwise.

Leo's hands were static, stuffed in his pockets.


	2. Elysium, Give It A Chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kid who couldn't be older than sixteen, looked around frantically. Trying to find who ever he was looking for. "It's my brother," he muttered helplessly, "he was right behind me. I could've sworn he was right behind me!"  
> "Okay, breath, that's it. I mean you don't have to really breath here but it'll help clear your head a bit."  
> The teen followed his instructions, but never stopped looking. In a quieter voice he held up the photo again. "Have you seen him?"  
> Beckendorf looked at the scruffy Latino in the picture. He had on holey jeans and a black t- shirt, wearing a wide grin that spelled trouble and a baseball bat in his left hand.  
> And he couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something familiar about him.

Nico DiAngelou wasn't doing too well.

With all of the stress of the loose souls he had to round up after the war, along with keeping track of the ones coming in and being appointed as a part- time judge for where newly dead were to go, it was only a matter of time before it would catch up to him.

Sleep was practically non-existent, with dreams of the war and being trapped in a near- death state plaguing his mind it was a wonder how he was still sane.

His friends noticed his ever growing fatigue, he knew that was one of the reasons why Percy invited them all for a vacation to the Big Apple if his concerned glances were anything to go by, but there was still too much to do.

Eventually, to the demigod's surprise, it was his father that convinced him to take a well- deserved break before he worked himself to death (Haha, get it? Death?). Well, Nico supposed it was more of an order if his memory served him right.

"Nico, your father is calling for you," the skeleton told the raven haired boy. Nico stopped his count on the souls who stood on the line for judgement and turned to the messenger with confusion.

"Really?"

"Yes, sir."

Nico sighed, "Okay, tell him I'll be right over."

When he arrived at Hades' room, he was surprised to see not only Hades, but Persephone there as well. The goddess met his eyes and concern clouded her normally frustrated facade.

Now, something that most wouldn't know about the god of the underworld was that he can be as doting and fond of his children as Poseidon. Sometimes even more so. The laws of Olympus bind him from helping them on heroic quests, as they do for all godly parents, but aside from that he keeps track of his son, albeit from a distance.

So when he saw him stumbling around his domain and walking into walls, he knew it was time to step in.

Surprisingly, Persephone conveyed almost as much worry as Hades. She's taken a liking to the demigod.

"He's worse than I thought," she said. Her husband can only nod in response. The dark circles under his eyes made his pale face look even more so. There was a constant tremble to his form and his eyes were red with strain. Everytime he blinked, it took a couple of seconds to open them again.

"Nico, when was the last time you got rest?"

The boy could only stare at his father trying to process the question before answering with a shrug.

Hades' frown deepened. Persephone spoke up, "You're overexerting yourself."

"I'm fine." Nico found his voice

"No. You're not." The god of the underworld sighed, and walked up to his son. "You're overworking yourself. Go on a vacation, Elysium, I even have a room set up for you."

"Father-"

"This is not a suggestion Nico. You won't be working in my domain until your health is completely replenished. Go."

Reaching the gates of Elysium, Nico couldn't supress the smile that reached his face. His father really outdid himself, there wasn't a sad person in the place. Skeletal guards were placed on the outside, dressed like fancy hotel concierges and upon seeing Hades' son, let the boy through.

Immediately he felt a change in the air. As opposed to the gloom he was so accustomed to, the atmosphere felt lighter and his head began to clear. He only walked a couple of steps before he heard a familiar voice.

"Nico!" Beckendorf, strode up to him, covered in grease and grime, looking happier than he's ever seen him.

While in life, he was always the optimist, trying to keep his cabin hopeful even when there was none. In the after life, gone were the dark circles under his eyes and the fatigue that he constantly tried to keep hidden.

The son of Hephaestus patted him on the back, almost making him fall over. "How have you been?"

Nico shrugged, "Pretty good. Glad to see you're doing alright."

Beckendorf shrugged, fiddling with some wood and a screw while he talked. "Yeah, well, Elysium will do that to you," a spring appeared out of nowhere and he attached it to the wood, "how is everyone? Percy? Annabeth? Cabin nine?"

They launched into conversation. Nico's exhaustion was slowly but surely leaving him and in the back of his mind he wondered if it was the effect of Elysium itself. If it was against the very nature of the place to feel drained or weary.

Nico told the former head counselor about the recent prophesy that ended, leaving out some of the more gruesome details.

When he got to Leo, however, the head counselor stopped him. "Wait, Leo? Leo Valdez?"

"Yeah?" Nico was confused by his sudden seriousness.

Beckendorf's face flushed slightly, "Scrawny kid? Always claims he's bad boy supreme and all that?"

The living demigod's eyes narrowed, "Yeah, how would you know?"

Suddenly, the head counselor smiled, a big broad smile, "I think I know someone who's been looking for him," he turned and made a 'don't-move' gesture, "wait right there."

Beckendorf first met the teen when he was lounging by the pool.

It was only a few days since his arrival and it was everything he could have hoped for. Endless supplies for his inventions, fellow soldiers who he fought alongside with were coming in every hour which was bittersweet, but it was good to see he wasn't as alone in the afterlife as he feared.

The only thing missing was Silena, but hopefully he'd be able to wait a long time before she arrived. Life was precious, Elysium, could be forever if he chose it to be.

Everything was peaceful in here, but the teenager who suddenly barged into the pool area looked like he was anything but at peace. Holding up a photo, he kept asking to anyone near, "have you seen him? Have you seen him?"

Curiosity getting the better of him, he walked up to the boy and had to duck when his hand swiveled towards his face, photo in a white knuckled grip, "have you seen him?" His hazel eyes were frantic and he kept gripping his dark brown hair in anxiety

"Whoa! Whoa! Take a breath and tell me who your looking for."

The kid who couldn't be older than sixteen, looked around frantically. Trying to find who ever he was looking for. "It's my brother," he muttered helplessly, "he was right behind me. I could've sworn he was right behind me!"

"Okay, breath, that's it. I mean you don't have to really breath here but it'll help clear your head a bit."

The teen followed his instructions, but never stopped looking. In a quieter voice he held up the photo again. "Have you seen him?"

Beckendorf looked at the scruffy Latino in the picture. He had on holey jeans and a black t- shirt, wearing a wide grin that spelled trouble and a baseball bat in his left hand.

And he couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something familiar about him.

Shaking his head, he answered in the negative and the teen deflated at his answer. Looking very much out of place with the happy peaceful presence surrounding them.

His eyes suddenly cleared and his head snapped up in confusion as if something just processed in his mind.

"What do you mean, I don't have to breath here?"

Beckendorf stared at him and his eyes widened slightly. "What was the last thing you remember?"

The teen's face scrunched up and he looked to the ground, as if it had the answers to his muddled memory. "I was running away. We got the other kids out and it was just me and my little brother… a man was chasing us… there was fire… I don't know!" He gripped his hair tightly in frustration and let out a growl. "Next thing I know, I'm here… and Leo… he wasn't."

The demigod nodded and sighed. It was a well known fact in Elysium that if a hero died in an extremely traumatizing or gruesome way, the events were veiled over, so they wouldn't be haunted by it in the afterlife.

"Sit down, I'll explain," Beckendorf said, and explain he did.

By the end of the explanation, the teen was crying, whether from relief that the one he was searching for was still alive or from grief that he was dead, the head counselor wasn't sure. He led the tearful teen to the lakes that provided a list of names for who was well and alive to who was deceased.

"Leo Valdez!" the boy said anxiously.

The lake rippled and next to the name the status was shown.

Leo Valdez~Alive

The teen slumped to the ground, fully relieved with the knowledge that his brother was still out there somewhere.

"...He'll be alright, he knows how to take care of himself, he's alright…" he muttered to himself before standing up and extending his hand. "Thanks for the help…"

"Charles Beckendorf," the demigod introduced himself, accepting the handshake.

"Chancellor Jones, call me Chance." He looked around some more, this time more in curiosity than in desperation. "Guess I'll be staying here for a while," He turned back to Beckendorf, "So, what does this place have to offer, Charles?"

"Come on, I'll show you around" He replied, "and between you and me, we actually have more in common than you may think."

The teen raised an eyebrow, his hazel eyes shining inquisitively. "And what's that?"

"We're both waiting for someone."

Running towards the teen's home, he can finally arrive with some good news. Much like when Chance ran to tell him Silena arrived in Elysium, he ran to tell him long awaited news on his brother.

Crashing through the foyer, and up the stairs, Beckendorf found him playing a guitar on the patio.

"Chance!" looking up from his music rather frazzled at the sudden company, his expression changed from confusion to wonder to excitement as the demigod told his tale. Without waiting for him to finish he ran ahead towards where Beckendorf said his friend was.

Seeing the demigod he screeched to a stop in front of the raven haired boy and could only stare at him in wonder. Almost two years waiting for news and the child of Hades himself comes to deliver it. Leo always had to do things with some flare.

"So, are you the one looking for Leo?" Nico suddenly said, eyeing the teen critically.

Nodding his head, he replied, "He's my brother."

Confusion rocked the demigod's being. "I thought he was an only child."

The brown haired boy smirked, "Foster brother, technically, but brother in all but blood."

Nico accepted the answer as truth. "So what do you want to know?"

"Is he alright?"

The son of Hades' smiled, "Yeah, he is. His jokes need a little work though."

Chance laughed, and laughed and laughed until tears were streaming down his face. Slowly descending into a crouch, his laughs turned into relieved sobs. "Thank goodness. He's okay. He's okay."

Beckendorf came up behind him, taking in Nico's uncomfortable expression and Chance's cries. "Yeah, Chance tends to get… emotional."

The hazel eyed boy threw a guitar pick at him, sniffling, "Shut up."

"It's true," Beckendorf said.

"Does he have a home now?" Chance asked Nico.

"Yeah, yeah he does."

Wiping his eyes, he stood up and asked Nico to tell him what Leo's been up to. To tell the truth, Nico's never put much thought into the fireboy's life before he joined the crew. Other than the knowledge of his mother's death and hs 'Tia Callida', the boy's life between then and now is a mystery to him.

Nevertheless, he told Chance what he could. About his bravery against Gaea, his mishaps and his heroisms, and when he got to the part about Leo's sacrifice to save the others, he couldn't hold his surprise when Chance grumbled in frustration, "He's still doing that?!"

And his surprise only grew when the teen asked how he got away from the first threat, before any of the prophesy business came about.

Seeing Nico's growing confusion, Chance started to get worried. If his friends, that sound more like family if his intuition is correct, doesn't know about before…

Leo doesn't trust them. Not completely.

Chance knows his brother, what he does when he doesn't truly trust someone.

Leo's a runner.

This is bad.

Taking out a letter he's kept with him since he realized he was in the afterlife, he handed it to Nico. "Can you get this to him?"

Looking at the letter with confusion he asks, "What is it?"

"It's a promise." Chance supplies, practically shoving the envelope in his hands. "Please."

Looking at the letter intently, the demigod takes it and places it in his bag. "I will."

His worry gives way to gratitude and he ends up clasping Nico's hand in a firm shake, making Nico blush. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Nodding his head shyly, Nico pulls his hand away and makes his way towards the exit. But before he has the chance, his shoulder is gripped from behind. Turning his head, he sees Beckendorf giving him the most mischievous look he's seen since the Stoll brothers' prank that ended with Clarisse's hair being dyed pink.

"What?" He asked suspiciously.

The head counselor's grin only widened. "A little bird told me something interesting. So… you and Will huh?"

"Crap." Nico said as he was dragged back from the gates, blush creeping up to his ears. He couldn't help the smile that snuck it's way on his face at the mention of his boyfriend. If his ever growing grin was any indication, Beckendorf noticed too. This was going to be a long day.

When he finally escaped from the demigod's clutches, with a promise to visit him and Chance in the near future, he made his way out of Elysium and instantly missed the light peace that was absent in the rest of his father's domain.

He already sent word to Hades, with an affirmation that it would be okay to spend the remainder of his mandatory vacation in New York City.

Stepping into a shadow, he reappeared across the country and smirked when he was able to do so without collapsing. His practice was coming along nicely. As long as he does it with only himself. He wonders if-

His thoughts were interrupted by a bloodcurdling scream a few feet away from him. Looking to his right, he realized he shadow traveled a little too accurately, landing right in Leo Valdez's room.

Another scream escaped the boy as he curled into a fetus position from pain that only he can feel, eyes scrunched tight, and Nico's brain finally processed what was happening.

Another scream, and the desk next to his bed suddenly erupted into flames.

"Oh no."


	3. Pleasure Doing Business With You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are few times when Clovis wished that he'd wake up. But Leo Valdez's dreams are ... different.

There are very few times when Clovis wished that he'd wake up.

Demigod dreams are full of prophecy and foreboding. But memories, usually the crappy kind, are just as common.

Percy Jackson's dreams of Tartarus are particularly gruesome, and makes him wonder if he's really as fine as he lets on. Same with Annabeth. Nico hasn't been dreaming much lately but when he does it's of death or dying or loneliness and despair. Frank's dreams tend to start off pleasant, reading a book with his grandmother or baking cookies in their kitchen. It typically ends up with her dead though. Piper's dreams are of the war more often than not, and she has an inept fear of dragging her family into the mess that was her life. Clovis seemed to be pulled in the direction of Jason's dreams the most often. Perhaps it's because he's been asked to look into his memories before, but at least once a week his random dream hopping lands him in a world of Roman heroics and a lost boy in his own self. Hazel's are the most interesting. It's of a life before any of the kids at camp (except Nico) could know. Some kid named Samuel or Sammy or something like that keeps popping up looking a lot like Leo, and Clovis is pretty sure there's a story there.

But Leo Valdez's dreams are … different.

At first, it wasn't all that noticeable. The boy's only been at the camp for a short time then had to go on a quest to save the world. As the head counselor of the Hypnos cabin, he makes it a habit to see the dreams of any newcomer at camp, just a precaution and to satisfy his own curiosity.

It was muffled and haggard and veiled. Every demigod's dreams are like this to some extent but his are to an extreme only seen through cycles of distrust and traumatizing pasts. The child of Hypnos could've pushed his way through, but he has social limits and wanted to respect his privacy.

But the feelings were still there. Carefully constructed behind the facade of the laughing teen has an underlying darkness and vulnerability that is carefully, oh so carefully, hidden.

So, he decided to leave it alone, and it soon went from his mind when he went on to the next dream.

Usually he dropped a hint to Chiron in these situations, for the activity director to keep an eye on him, but then the war came and he was always so tired…

Now he regrets not telling the satyr before.

Pain.

Regret.

Fire.

Death.

Loss.

Fire.

Hope.

No, it was a trick.

Fire.

FIRE.

"FIRE!"

"GET THE KIDS OUT OF HERE!"

"No, you'll -"

"I'LL BE RIGHT BEHIND YOU! GO, CHASE!"

Clovis didn't like this.

A man with a whip stalked closer to 3 kids huddled in a corner. A terrifying smile pasted on his face. The children huddled closer even as the fire grows.

Clovis noted the tinge of gray fear along with the putrid smell of burning smoke, covering everything but the little area of rug the kids were on and the man walking closer to them. Smoke enveloped the house, one of the kids won't stop coughing.

A scrawny Latino sporting a baseball cap stands in front of them, blocking his path with a determined expression. He becomes relieved when he sees his older brother run out of the building with the other youngsters in hand, looking back as at him with a look that obviously says, 'you better be right behind me,' before disappearing out the back. The man's smile turns into an annoyed grimace when he sees this and follows the teen's gaze.

The boy takes the opportunity to motion the three remaining kids towards the opposite end of the room, and with only a second's hesitation of worry for their savior, scramble to follow his directions just as the man turns back around.

Clovis tries to dream hop to a less gruesome scene, when he feels a disturbing pull on his psych, grounding him. Why can't he leave? Clovis doesn't want to see this.

"YOU!" The man shouts. The fire grows, the kids scream.

A flinch to runs through the teen and a wave of inevitability to rakes the atmosphere.

The man runs up to him and punches him in the stomach, the teen tries to scrunch up in an attempt to shield himself from the pain only to find that he can't from the man's grip on his shirt, keeping him inches from the floor.

The kids scream again and the man turns around, "SHUT UP!" he yells. Dropping the gasping boy on the ground and stomping towards the crying trio.

Clovis starts to panic when he recognizes the teen as Leo. He doesn't want to be here, but every time he tries to jump, it lands him in the same dream, the same situation. Like a sick joke, the son of the master of sleep can't get out of a nightmare.

"Wait…!" the man stops a foot away from the kids looking back with an expectant, sadistic smile. The Latino gulps and fear ripples through the dream, knocking Clovis to his knees.

"I'll go with you." The heat in the room grows almost unbearable, but it doesn't seem to bother the man or boy at all.

The man scoffs and turns to face the boy fully, the coughing kids stare at him fearfully and Leo stares desperately back, a plea to leave clear on his face. They run out of the building while the man is distracted.

The teen knows the kids are going to get help, but by then they'll be long gone.

"I thought you might," the man says, brandishing a knife from his back pocket and lifting up the boy's shirt, "this is the start of a beautiful relationship." Leo tries to get away and a crash from the adjacent kitchen shakes the house, but it doesn't deter the man who tightens his grip, bringing down the knife on his lower back with a vengeance. "Pleasure doing business with you."

The pain is too much, Leo's screams pierce through every channel in his being, rippling through the dream bonds he keeps with his brothers and sisters.

"WAKE UP!" Clovis screams at himself, clutching his hair as he tries to ignore the torture of knife carving flesh and whip scarring skin. Clovis can sense his distress rippling through the dreams of sleeping demigods as they all wake up in their respective cabins in a confused state of fear that's not their own, "WakeupwakeupwakeupwakeupwakeupdamnitWAKEUP…!"

A rush of adrenaline shoots through his system and he sits up in bed, a scream frozen on his lips, completely oblivious to the unusual amount of people in his wake. A fear and hopelessness and despair that's not his own consuming his thoughts.

When he finally comes to, he's not in Cabin 15, but a sweat soaked bed in the infirmary. The rush of adrenaline he felt must've been from the shot in Will's hand as he looks down at him in worry. His siblings stare at him in horror, the little ones crying in the older one's arms. Half the camp must be in here, he thought. Most look worried, some look scared and others look pissed at being woken at, Clovis looks at the clock on the wall, 3 am in the morning.

Swinging his legs over the bed he shakily stands on his feet as trembles rock his frame.

Samantha, his sister and second in command, rushes over, holding him up as he rocks on his feet. Her eyelids drooping and a wide yawn escapes her, causing those in her immediate surroundings to yawn with her, "Are you," yawn, "okay?"

Clovis nods, yawning in sudden exhaustion, and upon seeing Chiron, walks up to him, he takes notice that Chiron's eyes seem to go half lidded.

He squares his shoulders and looks at him determinedly, he won't make the same mistake again.

"I need to speak to you about something."


	4. A Barbecued Desk, a Storm, and a Lily

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Of course I'm okay, why wouldn't I be?"  
> Annabeth, Percy, and Nico stared in disbelief at the boy's outright lie and knew they were all thinking the same thing.  
> It was so damn convincing.

Percy woke with a start, the screams that haunted his nightmares mixing with the ones from down the hall. Blood pumping with adrenaline and still half asleep, Percy ran towards the source with Annabeth right behind him. Luckily his mother was at work and his father was away at a teaching convention or there'd be a lot of explaining to do.

He opened the door to find one Nico DiAngelo trying to shake awake the son of Hephaestus to no avail (Wait, Nico? What's he doing here?), while avoiding a fire that was smothering the bedside desk. The boy was screaming bloody murder, writhing around, entangled in sheets and sweat. Percy immediately went to work extinguishing the flames. Luckily the bathroom was directly across the hall, so he had no trouble guiding the water and stopping the fire in its tracks.

Annabeth was by Leo's side holding the boy down so he didn't hurt himself or others, but that seemed to just make things worse. Percy quickly used some of the water he'd gathered and dumped it on the teen, startling him awake.

Annabeth released him as Leo bolted upright and clutched his chest in a vice grip, while his eyes darted around the room. The three coherent demigods recognized that look, having experienced it themselves, and waited with him until he caught up with reality. His breathing slowed to shuddering breaths and he shut his eyes tightly before collapsing back on his bed utterly exhausted, covering his face with his arms.

"Damn it…" he whispered through clenched teeth, tears flowing down his cheeks.

"Leo…" The demigod, tensed and slowly lowered his arm to see three demigods staring at him with equal parts worry and diminishing panic. That's when he looked at his surroundings with growing horror. The charred desk, the sweat-soaked sheets abandoned on the floor, the redness of his friends' hands from trying to wake him up. He did this...

Nico broke the silence, placing a hand on the teen's shoulder and ignoring the flinch that came with it. "Are you okay?"

And Leo thought that was the easiest and hardest question he was ever asked because no, he was not okay. He was definitely not okay. Looking at his friends, he knew they all knew this as well, but they wanted to hear him say it. To confirm their suspicions that he was broken and hurting, and he couldn't do that because then the questions would start, and he couldn't deal with the questions right now.

So instead he did what he's always done.

He wiped away the waterworks, took a deep breath, plastered on a smile, and said, "Of course I'm okay, why wouldn't I be?"

Annabeth, Percy, and Nico stared in disbelief at the boy's outright lie and knew they were all thinking the same thing.

It was so damn convincing.

Leo's smile widened, like he was attempting to convince himself of the lie he was trying to feed his friends. "Why are you all in here anyways? Oh! Are we having a slumber party? Did you miss me so much that you had to see me at," Leo looked at the clock, "Three- thirty? Wow, I'm flattered! Hey Nico, why are you here? Aw, you missed me too didn't you? But of course, it's hard to resist the presence of the great Leo Valdez." Leo laughed and got out of bed. Nobody missed how his eyes flickered to the burnt desk before bounding to the kitchen.

Ever since the incident at the park, Leo has been acting strangely. Something was definitely off, but Percy and Annabeth couldn't put their fingers on it. Leo acted like he was fine, but there was something in his eyes that had them worried them.

Annabeth's concern grew. She saw it now. The boy was definitely not okay. His eyes were glazed over and conflicted, like he was trying to fight to stay in the present moment and not to whatever demons plagued his mind.

The scary thought was, that if Annabeth wasn't looking for it, if she didn't see it in Percy when the memories of Tartarus took hold of his mind, if she didn't see it in the mirror from her own reflection after reliving the hell they fell into (and got out of, she needs to remind herself of this fact constantly), she wouldn't have noticed anything was wrong. His facade was nearly flawless. How long has he been keeping this up? How had she not noticed it before? His signature smile seems so fake to her now, it was disconcerting.

His breathing hitched every now and then, revealing that he was trying to even it out, to seem even more convincing. His hands were twitching and his frame was trembling.

She followed after him silently, Percy and Nico close behind in the same state of shock. Percy decided to step up to the plate and walked up to the demigod who was making himself some hot chocolate.

"Leo." The boy looked up innocently, and took a sip of the drink, humming in acknowledgment.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Leo tensed, and put down his cup of coco, tapping his fingers on the countertop while bouncing his leg with pent up energy.

"Uh, yeah, I said I was."

"Dude, we just saw you screaming and thrashing around your bed like you were in agony. You set the desk on fire in your sleep."

Leo looked down guiltily at his hands, "I'm sorry about the desk, that was my bad, and I'll make you a new one…"

Annabeth kneeled in front of the boy. "Leo. Look at me." His eyes met hers. "This is not about the desk. This is about you. We're worried, we're your friends, you can talk to us."

Leo glared at his friends, and his nonchalance quickly turned to defensive annoyance.

"There's nothing to talk about. I'm fine! Carajo, déjame en paz! What, so it's a crime to have a nightmare every now and again?" He growled out.

The three demigods stood in shock. Leo never used that tone of voice on them before. Leo looked just as surprised and his annoyance quickly turned to embarrassment. He took out a rubber band ball and some springs from his tool belt to have something to distract himself with (He sleeps with it? Annabeth wondered how she didn't notice it before.).

Percy opened his mouth to say something when he heard the distinct click of the door being opened. The demigods turned towards the sound as Sally Jackson walked in, holding bags of groceries and wearing the uniform she had for her job as a receptionist. She was shocked to see the kids up this late and geared up to give a lecture when she realized there was a new addition to the group.

"Nico! How have you been?" She gave the demigod a hug and tussled his hair. Nico smiled and returned the hug. He stayed at Percy's place after the war with Gaea to recuperate somewhat and now Mrs. Jackson is like a second mother to him. "I thought you wouldn't be able to make it."

The three other demigods turned towards the son of Hades, wondering the same thing. Nico nodded and said, "Yeah, Hades put me on 'mandatory vacation'," Nico air quoted. He glanced towards Leo and decided he would give the teen the letter from Chase later. It seemed personal enough to discuss in private.

Sally's smile widened and said, "Well, that's great hun." She turned to Percy and raised a brow, "And why exactly are you all awake at this hour?"

The three standing demigods all turned to Leo, and before any could respond Leo said sheepishly, "Sorry Mrs. J, I accidentally barbecued the desk, I'll fix up a new one by tomorrow- er, well, today technically."

Sally didn't skip a beat, one of the perks of being the mother of a demigod is that it was hard for anything to surprise her these days, "Oh, alright. I'll move that out later today." She gave a tired sigh, and turned to the teens, "Since you're all up, can you help me put away the groceries?"

The teens nodded and went to work in silence. Sally noticed the tense atmosphere and dismissed herself, saying she was tired and was going to get some sleep. They continued working and eventually, Leo said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you." Percy stopped what he was doing and addressed the boy.

"We're just worried about you-"

"And I appreciate that," Leo interrupted with a grateful smile, "But really, I'm fine, there's nothing to worry about."

Nico stared at the teen and thought about what Chance from Elysium said. The boy really was a mystery when he thought about it. It just wasn't so obvious because he tended to wear his heart on his sleeve, or at least they thought he did. "Would you tell us if something was seriously wrong?"

Leo hesitated, and his eyes flickered to the side. "... Yeah, of course." He paused again. "I'll keep that in mind."

Nico, Percy, and Annabeth didn't miss his hesitation but decided to leave it for now. It was past 4 in the morning. They were all tired, so they finished putting away the groceries and went into their respective rooms.

Leo sat on his bed, smile dropping completely in the absence of his friends, and rubbed his face in frustration and restlessness. He didn't know what to do! He thought he was past this, he hasn't gotten a nightmare like that in months! He tried not to think about his encounter with the man in park. 'He can't get to me now, I'm not the same kid from back then,' he thought, 'I've got friends, I've saved the world damn it! He's nothing now, he's no one. He can't get to me. I'm okay, I'm okay, You're fine Leo, you're okay…' He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, closing his eyes, he repeated the process until his anxiety went down a bit. It was a trick he learned from Chance, during the times when he thought he couldn't handle it.

Chance. His heart panged at the thought of his older brother. He never did find out what happened to him, all he was told was that the boy had died. Not how, or when, only that he did. Then again, it was that monster that told him, so maybe there was hope…

He stood up, taking out some wood and screws from his tool belt and went to work on building a new desk. There was no way he was getting any sleep tonight, might as well do something productive.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------  
Elsewhere, a few hours later…

A girl with flaming, red, wavy hair and chocolate brown eyes quickly sat up from where she'd been napping on her desk. The students around her jumped about a foot in the air and the teacher stuttered in her explanation of the Cold War before gathering her senses and continuing the lesson. The students watched as the girl's head zipped to one side, then the other, then to the teacher, confusion marring her face. She raised her hand.

The teacher sighed wearily, "What, Lillian?"

Lillian either didn't notice the woman's frustration or didn't care. "Which class is this?"

The teacher stared in disbelief. "I hope you're joking. It's World History." Some of her classmates laughed. The ones closest to her whispered "freak." Only one student frowned at his friend being made fun of, the hair covering his eyes hiding his hazel-eyed glare of disapproval.

Lillian nodded thoughtfully and looked at her palms, studying them intently. "A shorter life than last week…" she muttered to herself. She looked outside, and shook her head, her brows knitting together. Lillian stood up swiftly and the teacher cut off mid sentence. "Lillian, is there something- where are you going? Lillian!" But the teen didn't stop, instead she continued out of the classroom and down the hall. Her Converse sneakers slapping the tiled floor with purpose and haste. She heard heavy boots trying to catch up and the distinct sound of panting breath as a teen with dark brown hair and deep hazel eyes caught up to her just before she walked out the school doors. He grabbed her forearm and she tensed in his grip. The boy immediately let go and instead swiped the hair from his sweaty forehead.

"Where are you going?" He panted out, and Lillian only frowned at her best friend. She grabbed his wrist and proceeded to walk out of the school.

"Okay, where are we going?

"There's a storm coming." She said impatiently. The boy looked to the sky, it was a clear day, the only wisp of cloud was a lone white swirl that looked to be receding quickly. It was so hot he could see heat waves coming up from the sidewalk, the sun seemed to be scorching even the shadows in the small Californian town.

The boy looked to his friend exasperated, "What do you mean?" he asked, because she sure as hell wasn't talking about the weather. She suddenly stopped and he realized they've walked several blocks and were now standing in front of his rundown residence.

She huffed out a breath and dragged a hand down her face, trying to articulate what she didn't understand herself. "I don't know, It's-" She made a sound of frustration. "It's happening again! James, do you remember Chicago?"

James frowned, they never talked about Chicago. Never. It was an unspoken agreement, and he was suddenly worried about what he's about to get himself into. "Is this like Chicago?" Lillian nodded her head solemnly. "Okay, do you know who it is?"

Lillian nodded and studied the flowers adorning the sad little garden in front of James' house. The forget-me-nots were withered under the harsh rays of the sun. "I think so, now start packing."

The hazel eyed boy's eyes widened. "What, right now?"

"Yes."

"For how long?"

Lillian tapped her foot in annoyance, "How should I know, a week? Just hurry up!" She waved her hands towards the house to urge her point.

James rolled his eyes, "Okay, alright, no need to shout…"

As James was packing, the teenage girl grew more and more worried at what she'd seen. Or rather, heard. She always had a gift for knowing. Nothing like her cousin Rachel, not as concrete, but even more frequent. Sometimes she saw what others did not, so obviously there that she soon realized it was like trying to describe color to a blind person. Sometimes it came in smells, or tastes, and most often in combination with this , emotion.

She looked at the lone, wispy cloud with growing concern. This time, it was a song. It wasn't just any song, it was the last song she ever heard with one of the only friends she'd ever had. And with it, she felt like someone who was watching a storm approach faster than she could outrun it. She could practically hear the Latino boy, trying to reassure her that he would be fine as they played cards over the calming tunes of Chicano Batman. She hadn't seen or heard from him since.

James came out with a traveler's backpack and a nervous grin. "So, where are we heading?"

Her gut pulled her towards her house and James struggled to keep up. The words that she replied with surprised even her. "New York."

James stumbled, "N-New York? Who's in New York?"

They stopped in front of her house and James followed her in as she opened the door and made her way up to her room. Both of their parents were at work and neither would really care if they went on a little spontaneous trip. It was not the first and certainly wouldn't be the last.

As she was packing she chose her words carefully. "I have a friend that'll need some help."

James actually gasped a little. "Lillian Dare, you have more friends other than moi? I thought I'd never see the day."

Lillian scoffed, "You're one to talk."

James' smile widened, "So what's the lucky fool's name?"

Lillian felt a pang of sadness, who knows if he even remembers her? Let alone considers her a friend? The name almost burned as she drew it from her throat.

"Leo Valdez."


End file.
